Everything To Me - Orm Marius-Ocean Master
by FantasyandHistory
Summary: Book 2 of the 'Everything I Need' Trilogy. After learning the truth about her connections to Atlantis and her mother's fate, Aurelia thought she had abandoned the underwater kingdom, her only tie being her vow of merciless revenge. But Atlantis and some of its people aren't ready to let her go just yet...
1. Prologue - Potential Allies and Enemies

So I finally published the sequel to my 'Aquaman' story! Thank you all for waiting so patiently, and I hope it's worth the wait! :)

Here's a Full Summary:

**Book 2 of the 'Everything I Need' Trilogy. After learning the truth about her connections to Atlantis and her mother's fate, Aurelia thought she had abandoned the underwater kingdom, her only tie being her vow of merciless revenge. But Atlantis and some of its people aren't ready to let her go just yet. She must continue the journey in searching for the lost trident of Atlan she had begun with Mera. Only, Mera isn't here at her side this time, Orm is, her betrothed and rival for the throne. Together they must uncover the next piece of the puzzle in locating the trident, all while being chased by Orm's vicious father, King Orvax, and an old enemy of Aurelia's.**

Y'all know the drill: I do not own 'Aquaman', I'm simply borrowing it for fanfiction :) I do however, own my characters and plot points. Thanks and enjoy!

* * *

Prologue - Potential Allies and Enemies

"I will take her, My Love. You know how they are regarding men," Aria said.

Vulko nodded. "Very well. Safe travels My Love, My young Princess."

Aria turned to the thirteen-year-old Aurelia. "Ready? It will be a long swim, just forewarning you."

"That's okay, I love swimming!" The young teen grinned.

Aria smiled. "I know."

"Where are we going, Aria? Atlantis?"

"Not Atlantis." Aria began wading out into the water, Aurelia following close behind. "But to a far-away island, home to another race of superhuman beings: the island of Themyscira."

* * *

"So this is her then?" Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons of Themyscira regarded them through narrowed eyes, hand on the hilt belonging to the fancy sword at her belt. "The highly controversial half-human child of Queen Atlanna?"

"Yes," replied Aria, her tone much warmer. "This is Princess Aurelia, heir to the throne of Atlantis."

"You don't resemble Atlanna very much," the Queen remarked, eyeing Aurelia, as though this were something the girl could control.

This snapped Aurelia from her trance - she couldn't believe she was surrounded by real-life Amazons! Her dad had bought her various books on mythology, and she had read lots about the all-female Amazon warriors.

The young princess turned to Aria, who gave her an encouraging smile. Aurelia then turned back to the Amazonian Queen. "I look more like my dad, Tom. He's a lighthouse keeper in Maine. He's the coolest dad. I'm a big fan of you all, by the way. I've read a lot about you. You knew my mother?"

"Yes, I did. We had an alliance of sorts. She was very kind and generous, Queen Atlanna. Very genuine."

"I wish I remembered her better."

"Aurelia, it was her wish that you train with the Amazons as well as Vulko and I," Aria explained.

Aurelia felt her eyes grow wide. "Really?!" Coolest dad, and coolest mom too!

"Yes." Aria nodded, smiling at the princess's obvious excitement at the idea. "She wanted you to train as much as possible, and in as many areas of combat as you can."

"Why?"

"She was looking out for you."

Feeling a surge of confidence, Aurelia turned back to the Queen. "Can I? Oh please, please can I train with you?"

The Queen's expression did not falter. "Atlanna was a great woman. A good ally and friend. She took great risk in allying herself with us. I will do this for her." She turned to the blonde woman wearing dark armour standing at her side. "Antiope, take Princess Aurelia to the armory. Show her around. She has a lot of preparing to do."

_Hello and welcome back! Here it is, the (long-awaited) sequel! Adding in this prologue was a last-minute decision and will connect to events later in the story!_

_Thank you so much for reading (and waiting patiently for this) and I hope you enjoyed! :) And, once again, welcome back!_


	2. Chapter One - Different Worlds

One - Different Worlds

The day hadn't exactly gotten off to the start she had imagined.

She hadn't expected to have to come to the rescue in the early hours of the morning of a drunken sailor, and carry the guy back to land. Not fun.

She stormed into the nearest pub, assuming this is where he had gotten all his drinks, and dumped him on the closest table. "Next time, don't go swimming while drunk, dumbass." She didn't have time for this shit. That, and she had bigger problems looming on the horizon, rather beneath the surface.

Treating herself to a drink - might as well, cause she was in the bar already - she ordered a beer. The bartender was quick, thankfully, and she snapped off the cap and downed the drink in a few large gulps - she was sure her father would be proud of her for drinking it so fast.

She slammed the now empty bottle back down onto the counter and nodded to the man she had saved on her way out the door. "It's on him."

With that, she strode out of the bar and right into the awaiting waves.

* * *

When she arrived home, at dawn, her father, no surprise, was waiting at the dock. Waiting for her mother, his love, to return to him.

Now Aurelia knew she never would. Atlanna was dead, killed by her own people. Thanks to them, she would never be returning to her family. And Aurelia didn't think she had the strength to tell her father this, and so she hadn't, not yet. And maybe never would.

Because maybe revealing the truth to him would mean she was accepting it herself, and she didn't want that.

But then he would be stuck waiting forever. Waiting for something that would never happen. She didn't know which option to pick, for neither seemed better or less painful than the other.

It had been just two weeks since the disastrous end to her trip to Atlantis, so the wounds were still fresh. Very fresh.

"Hey Kiddo, want some eggs? Coffee?" Tom asked once he had returned to the lighthouse, the sun now risen high in the sky.

"No, thanks."

"Still little appetite?"

"Something like that." Without another word she headed upstairs to her room - she could sense her father about to ask her what was wrong, and wasn't about to get into it right now.

Was she really sparing him anything hiding the truth from him like this? Or just sparing herself from having to reveal the painful truth to him?

She was broken out of her thoughts when her attention was drawn to a sudden rattling sound. The glass of water sitting on her bedside table had begun trembling, faster and faster, the water spasming, until a holographic image of none other than Prince Orm emerged from the water.

"AH! WHAT THE FU-" Aurelia swatted the glass, which shattered against the wall, falling to the floor in a pile of broken shards and water. The image disappeared momentarily, then rose again from the puddle.

"Aurelia! Everything alright up there?!" called Tom.

"Yeah Dad!" she squeaked. "Just found a big spider! It's okay!" Her eyes never left the wavering image of Orm's handsome (_cough_, forget that) stern face.

"What the actual hell?! What the hell is this?" Orm said nothing, just stared back at her. "What, you gonna pop out of my toilet next? That would actually be kind of funny. Are you stalking me through that thing? Tracking me? Through - water?"

Orm gave a brief shrug, then finally spoke. "I developed a way to make water holograms."

"Good for you. Now go shared it with someone who actually cares."

They stared at each other for a long, drawn-out moment, until Aurelia swung a punch. Her fist went straight through the water, but she did it again a couple more times just for the satisfaction.

"How long have you been tracking me?"

"I'm not tracking you."

"Oh yeah? And what about before?"

"My father placed that tracker in my mother's bracelet when he knew I was going to gift it to you."

"Well good job, Sherlock Holmes, you solved the case. But you're not entirely innocent in this."

His expression remained unchanged. "Neither are you."

"Me?! I'm the victim in this!"

"And what of my mother's bracelet? The real victim."

"Okay, I'm sorry about that, but I was, understandably, very angry. There, I apologized. Happy?"

"No." He remained strangely calm and expressionless. "We need to talk, Aurelia."

"Been there, done that. No thanks."

"There is still the question of succession at hand-"

"What question?"

"If we do not rule together-"

"Yeah, no thanks. Thought I made myself clear on that one."

"-Then we need to decide who will rule - through the most ancient of solutions: combat."

"Or, you could just take it, no questions asked. I mean, you want it, so go for it. Seems like the easiest solution to me. Then everyone's happy."

"Only not quite. You see, what about my war? I will have it, and starting with a little visit to you and your father."

She saw red. "You wouldn't dare."

"Maybe, maybe not. Come alone and unarmed and we'll see. Otherwise, expect a visit from my guards." With that, the image dissolved away, and the water splashed back into a puddle on the floor.

Aurelia sat in shocked silence for a moment. Had that really happened? Had Orm just popped out of a puddle of water in her room and threatened her?

Yup.

"Damn it." Looked like she was returning to Atlantis after all.

She turned to face her mother's prized weapon, Atlanna's trident, resting against the wall. She went and picked it up, spinning it between her hands. "I'll come alone, but not unarmed."

_So the first part of this chapter was inspired by the introduction to Aquaman in 'Justice League'. I have not watched the full movie, just the Amazons and the introduction of Arthur._

_I was worried that it might be too soon to have Aurelia and Orm interact again in the first chapter, but it gets the action started! Thanks so much for reading (as always!) and I hope you enjoyed (also as always! :))_


	3. Chapter Two - Challenged

Chapter Two - Challenged

She had no friends in Atlantis. Not anymore. That's why she told no one that she was returning. That, and she wanted the element of surprise.

The deeper she swam, the more uneasy she felt, which was shitty, because usually swimming brought her such joy. Atlantis was killing all her joy. She was beginning to feel ashamed of her Atlantan roots, but then reminded herself that they came from her mother, perhaps the one good thing to come out of the underwater kingdom. However, Atlanna had been murdered by her home and people. But that was why Aurelia was here now, to avenge that one sliver of light in the darkness that was Atlantis.

The uneasy feeling continued, stretching onward.

She stopped to take a break at a cluster of sunken ships, acting as cover. The feeling was still there, lingering. The feeling that she was being followed...

"AH!" She was shot back by a blast - unmistakably water-technology - and recovered just in time to see that she was now surrounded by heavily-armed guards, Orm's personal crew.

The guards said nothing, but advanced.

"I don't suppose you want to talk about this, huh?" One guard drew a sword. She drew the trident. "Good, cause neither do I."

This was certainly not the first fight in which she had been outnumbered, but it was the first fight in which she had been outnumbered by super-powered beings.

She put up a good fight at first - Atlanna's trident was quickly knocked from her hands, and she had to result to hand-to-hand combat, which was no problem - but the guards had an upper hand with their armour and tech-powered weapons.

It was a blast that knocked her down, sending her crashing into the mast of the ship, and plunging down to the seafloor.

Everything was fuzzy, then went dark.

* * *

When she awoke, she was back in the strikingly bright Great Hall - too bright. She was chained, two on her wrist and one around her neck, held down by armed guards. Her mother's trident was placed on the ground in front of her, tauntingly close yet just out of reach.

She pulled, managing to move the guards and chains some, but not enough to get very far.

"Careful. Don't strain yourself." A deep, strong voice echoed through the hall. She looked up and met beautiful blue eyes, still so bright despite being so far away-

_Ah hem_. Orm sat lounging in the throne - looked like his father had given him the reins on this one. Still, she noticed Orvax lurking in the back, leering. Just seeing him made her blood boil. _Murderer_!

Orm was not alone at the front of the room. The advisers, Vulko and Aria - _traitors _\- sat to his left, and Mera sat to his right. Aurelia could tell Vulko and Aria were pleading to her with their eyes, but she ignored them.

Orm was dressed from head to toe in gold armour. _Golden boy. _

"Welcome back to Atlantis - Aurelia. I can't believe you're back."

"Oh don't act so surprised. You wanted me to come."

"I did, but you did not heed my terms."

"I came alone."

"But not unarmed."

"Do you really think I'd set foot in this place without a weapon? This welcome party is only proving my point further."

"Your Majesty, if I may," interjected Vulko.

"Silence." Orm held up an armoured hand. "This is between myself and Aurelia." He turned back to her, smiling. "I wish it didn't have to come to this, Aurelia, I truly do. But I'm afraid you left me no choice."

"Oh this is not my fault, do _not _put this on me."

"Perhaps. But, do tell, why are you here?"

"Oh quit playing innocent! You know why I'm here."

"Do I?"

"Well, for one, you threatened me."

"I had to prove my point, prove to you how serious this is. You know, I was looking forward to your return." Orm floated up and glided forward. "But now that you're here before me-"

"AH!" Aurelia finally managed to pull hard enough on the chains and shot forward. The chains reached their limit, stopping her just inches from where Orm floated, their faces close.

He smirked. "I'm conflicted."

"Oh I think you're a little more than 'conflicted' here. But, you want conflict? You take these chains off, and I'll show you conflict. Come on, let's go, me and you, right here, right now. That would be greatly satisfying to me. Let's see who gets run through."

"Yes, I see you brought your mother's weapon, against my word. Is that why you've come here?" Now Orm was just feigning innocence. "To kill me?"

"I came to stop a maniac from destroying the world."

"I see. That's all good that you want to play the hero, Aurelia. But how do you plan on stopping the atrocities the surface continues to commit?" He began floating around her, and as he did, holograms were projected around the hall, following what he described. "Because for a century they have polluted our waters, and poisoned our children. Now the skies burn and our oceans boil. You've come all this way to take sides against your own people?"

"There are no sides in a war like this."

"Then you have clearly chosen the side to come here and challenge the throne." Now Orm was angry too. And he even looked good when pissed off.

_Stop it!_

She was also trying to ignore how insanely good Orm looked from his angle - what a nice jawline! Why did her jerk-of-a-betrothed and rival for the throne and equally Disney prince-like betrothed and rival for the throne have to be so handsome?! It wasn't fair. And that gold armour...

_Concentrate, Aurelia! You're still pissed as hell! _"Whatever it takes to stop your war."

"Are you revoking the Combat of the Kings?"

"Call it whatever you want. I call it an ass-whooping. Listen here, Pretty Boy. You may look insanely, unfairly good right now, but your charms aren't going to work. Let's settle this like the warriors we are."

"You accept my challenge then?"

"Well, technically you haven't officially challenged me yet."

Orm smirked. "No, I suppose I haven't." He paused as if for dramatic effect. "And I don't think I will."

"What? But you just-"

"A challenge would be a fight to the death for the throne-" Okay, maybe she hadn't thought this all through... "But as you said, you have no interest in the throne. You're my prisoner now."

"You're a royal pain in the ass. Know what, 'Your Highness?' You can suck my-"

Scandalized gasps arose throughout the hall. She felt a surge of victory at having broken both Orvax and Orm's composure. And everyone else's for that matter.

"You don't want to challenge me? Fine. Then I challenge you."

This just seemed to shock everyone further.

Orm seemed to have recovered enough from her previous comment to speak. "Are you officially challenging me?"

"Aurelia, NO!" Vulko's shout was ignored.

"Hell yeah, I am. And when I win-"

"If you win."

"_When_ I win."

"_If _you win, I will cease all immediate action, you have my word. But if I win-" Something dangerous flashed in those blue eyes. "-Then you're over."

"Let's do it."

"Very well," Orm agreed. "Then that is how we'll proceed."

"You're Majesty-" tried Aria.

"Orm please," cried Mera.

But Orm was into it now. "Don't you see? If I defeat the only daughter of Atlanna in formal combat before everyone, then all Seven Kingdoms will have to concede that I am the one, true ruler of Atlantis."

"You're Majesty," Mera broke in. "There is no victory in defeating the ignorant. The Princess is clearly an imbecile."

Aurelia shot her a look. Mera appeared desperate to stop what was taking place.

Vulko and Aria too. "Your Highness, she doesn't know our ways," he tried.

"Then she's about to get an education." Orm was decided. His gaze never left Aurelia. "Then I accept your challenge."

"Good. Then let's do this."

"Very well. So be it. A challenge has been made, and we are both in agreement. Prepare the Ring of Fire!"

Aurelia blinked. "The _what_?"

_Jumping right into the action! ;) off to a good start, haha!_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)_


	4. Chapter Three - Ring of Fire

Chapter Three - Ring of Fire

"Son." Orvax found Orm preparing himself for the challenge. "I want you to use this during the duel." He extended his own trident.

Orm was shocked and hesitated in taking the offered weapon. "Really? You mean it?"

"Yes." Orvax smiled, something that looked strange on his usually stone-cold face. Eerie, and not quite kind. Needless to say, the King of Atlantis rarely smiled.

"Thank you - I'm honoured." Orm gave the trident a spin.

"I trust that you won't let your - _feelings_ \- stand in the way of the challenge?"

His words caught Orm off guard. "I will make you and Atlantis proud."

"Hmm." Orvax turned away. "We'll see."

* * *

Yup, she was in way too deep now.

"How could you be so foolish as to challenge Orm to a duel?" Vulko and Aria found Aurelia in the armory, trying to piece together some amour that would fit her.

"The asshole had it coming. And besides, I may have just solved all our problems. We fight, I win, I get to go home."

"You do realize that this is a fight to the death?"

"Yes..."

"You are a formidable fighter on land, but you are out of your element here, literally. Orm has spent his entire life under water. Training to be a warrior, training to be the best."

"You taught me how to fight, Cobra Kai."

"And, do you remember all that I taught you?"

"I remember _everything_. And I've got Mom's trident. A bit of luck, perhaps."

"Perhaps. But Aurelia, this is serious-"

"You think I don't know that?"

"You can't just go insulting and challenging the Crown Prince!"

"Well I did."

"And look where it got you!" Vulko shouted.

Aria placed a hand on Vulko's shoulder before turning to Aurelia. "Orvax doesn't believe that Orm has it in him to kill you, as Orm is still harbouring feelings for you-"

"Oh, please. That was nothing but a silly, childhood crush. He doesn't really feel that way for me."

The advisors exchanged a wary glance.

* * *

"You're not really going to kill Aurelia, are you?" Mera, dressed up for the formal occasion, demanded of Orm, all ready to go in his battle armour and with his father's trident.

"Those are the terms of the challenge."

"Tell me: Do you think Opal and Atlanna would enjoy watching their children murder each other?"

"I understand your reluctance, Mera."

"Do you? Because you're reluctant yourself."

"I truly do. I don't want war-"

"Oh don't patronize me! I know you - what you're doing lies in the face of everything your mother taught us when we were children. If she were here-"

"But she's not here now," Orm cut-in defensively. "I wish she was, but she isn't, and nothing can change that. And as for Atlanna - all she taught was treason, and her daughter followed in her footsteps, and look where it has gotten them. Don't follow in her wake as well."

"Hey, so this is it? The big ol' Ring of Fire, huh? So, how does this work? Do I just kick your ass right here?"

"You're both idiots," were Mera's final words to them before swimming away, Vulko and Aria following.

Alone now, the two opponents faced each other.

Orm's armour was very form-fitting, and let's just say he had a really nice form - _very_ nice. Was she really, seriously checking out her opponent right now? Yikes, she needed to chill out. And focus.

"You know, down here we have a legend," Orm said, beginning to pace before her. "The Karathen. An ancient sea monster so powerful even King Atlan himself feared it."

"Oh, I'll bet."

"So he imprisoned it in the depths of the ocean. And in that abyss the creature bides its time, waiting to rise again. Atlantis had been lying in wait-" Orm set his trident down with an echoing bang that rippled the water surrounding them. "And now the beast has awakened, and is hungry."

"Cool story, if you believe in that sort of thing." Aurelia stepped forward so that they were facing each other, and dropped her trident as well with equal fervour. "You know, there was a time when I wanted to be back here more than anything. Closer to my mother, closer to you-" This caught his attention. "My friend. Day after day of getting picked on at school, being the 'weird kid', I always knew I had a friend here, with me, who maybe understood just a little bit. We were in it together. Too bad I didn't know how much of a dick you'd turn out to be."

Orm's expression had softened with her words. But now his jaw tightened again. "I don't want to fight you, Aurelia. Or hurt you, or kill you. That's why I'm giving you one last chance to go. Leave. And never come back. You are not going to win this. War is coming to the surface whether you like it or not. And I'm bringing the wrath of the Seven Seas with me."

She met his piercing blue gaze. "You know I can't let that happen."

He smirked. "I know."

A horn blowing from above cut in, startling her. "What's that?"

Orm casually placed his helmet on his head. "The Ring of Fire." The ceiling above them opened and as soon as it did, Orm shot up into the arena with a great yell. His yells were met by a thunderous roar of cheering and applause.

Aurelia put on her helmet. "Shit."

When she shot up to the surface, she was met by very much the opposite: booing. "Traitor!" "Dirty half-breed!" "Go back to the surface!"

She could see Orvax smirking from where he sat lounging in his own private box complete with a throne. Always so smug.

She beat her trident against the ground, creating a wave. This shut them up for at least a moment.

"Loyal people of Atlantis!" Orm addressed his adoring crowd. "My rival has come from the surface to challenge me for the throne!"

"You done?" Aurelia rolled her eyes.

"Let us settle this in the ancient way: by bloodshed! May the gods show no mercy!" This was met by more cheers.

"This is all a little dramatic, don't you think?"

"It's tradition." Orm smirked.

"That explains it."

"Not that you would understand."

An octopus was beating out an intense rhythm on a set of drums off to the side. "Huh," Aurelia grinned. "Cool."

The opponents faced each other once more, beating the points of their tridents together before drawing them back in formal gesture.

"You have your mother's trident. Powerful, but flawed, like her. I wield my father's - and it has never known defeat!" With that, Orm leapt forward with a yell, trident extended.

Let the challenge begin.

_I'm so excited to be getting back into the groove of this story! :D Many great Aurelia and Orm moments to come! ;)_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)_


	5. Chapter Four - A Little Out of Order

Chapter Four - A Little Out of Order

Atlanteans really wasted no time.

The next thing she knew, the pointy tip of Orm's weapon was swinging straight at her head and she threw up her hands clutching tightly onto her mother's trident to block the blow - only barely.

Okay, maybe Vulko and Aria had been right...

Orm's movements were swift and fluid as he glided expertly through the water around them.

She was getting her ass _kicked_. Mere minutes into the challenge she had been nearly strangled by a trident, nearly thrown into the pit of lava (the Ring of Fire), and smashed into a cliff. With every beating she took the cheers from the crowd grew louder.

"We promised Atlanna that we would protect her daughter," Aria said from the box where she, Vulko, Mera, and Mera's father, King Nereus, watched. The couple exchanged a glance.

"This isn't a challenge," said Vulko. "It's an execution. Before the whole kingdom." They looked up to the royal box where Orvax sat, looking very much amused by the whole situation.

Orm had knocked Aurelia down again.

"AHHH!" With a great yell, he swung his trident downward towards her. She held up her own trident to block the blow. This happened two more times, then-

_SMASH!_ There was a flash as the trident was sliced clean in half. Aurelia now held the broken pieces, feeling equally shattered inside.

The crowd went wild. Orm cheered as well. "I AM THE ONE, TRUE KING!"

But Aurelia wasn't paying attention to him. All she could focus on was the broken trident in her hands. She even managed to drown out the cheering of the crowd, for lack of a better word.

Then she looked up at the triumphant Orm, and the shock quickly turned to rage.

"AH!" Throwing down the trident - now pieces of trident - Aurelia lunged at him, taking him by surprise. She heard gasps as she attacked the prince - the fight wasn't over yet.

However, Orm was suddenly swept away, swept up in a whirlpool-turned air-pocket that sent him smashing to the rocks below. Pieces of his armour flew off and he rolled over, choking up a mouthful of water. The whirlpool came splashing down on him, revealing one of the high-tech Atlantean ships.

It was Mera driving - Aurelia had only seen hydrokinesis like that from the Princess of Xebel. "What, are you waiting for an invitation? Get in!"

She was about to do just that, but remembered. "Mom's trident!"

"Aurelia-" Guards had already begun firing upon Mera. Wow, the Atlanteans really didn't hesitate, and they moved quickly.

"Go!" She waved the red-head on. "I'll catch up!"

Mera didn't question it, and took off, leaving a trail of bubbles in her wake.

Aurelia snatched up the pieces of trident before fleeing the Ring, not before hearing Orm yell, "AURELIA!"

She finally caught up with Mera, just in time. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

"The plan _was_ to retrieve Atlan's trident _then_ challenge Orm!"

"Okay, so we're doing thing's a little out of order. Shit happens. Ha, did you see him fall on his ass!"

"I almost did the same to you! What were you thinking directly attacking him without a weapon? And going back for it?" Mera chided.

"Hey, it's all I have left of her, okay. I wasn't about to leave it." The ship was jerked by a shot from behind them. "We've got a bogey on our six!"

"What does that even mean?" Mera demanded.

"It means bad guys behind us!"

"Then just say that!"

"Bad guys behind us!" she squealed.

The ship was jerked again by another shot, this one closer this time.

"Shoot back!" Aurelia cried.

"I can't!" countered Mera. "There's no gun on this ship."

"What?! There's got to be a gun!"

"There's not, this is a transport vessel, not a warship."

"Well there should be a gun."

"Well then take it up with your betrothed! He's in charge of this stuff."

"Stop calling him that!"

"Speaking of..."

Orm drove his ship up alongside theirs. They met eyes, he looking a perfect mix of pissed and very disappointed. "Ugh, great. Just can't get rid of this guy."

Orm swerved behind them, firing at them too.

"He's got a gun!"

"Yeah cause that's a war ship"

"Of course it is!" The city gates were in sight and Mera sped on ahead. "I thought you said there was high security."

"I did!"

"I thought you said no one gets past the hydro-cannons."

"I did!"

"I thought you said-"

"I did, now shut up!"

Orm continued the chase even outside the kingdom's gates.

"What is this guy's problem?!" They just couldn't lose him.

"You're his rival for the throne. It's kind of a big deal here, if you haven't noticed. And you just humiliated him in front of the whole kingdom."

"I think you did that."

_BLAST!_ Orm's next shot hit them directly, sending the ship spiraling out of control.

"We're not dead yet!" Mera yelled.

Both flew out of the ship - narrowly missing the pit of lava below, whereas their ship wasn't so lucky.

The lava instantly consumed the ship, swallowing it up with a hot gurgle. The brief moment in which Orm thought he may have killed them in his sudden fit of rage was short-lived, however.

There seemed to be a lot of pissed-off going around. "Oh, that does it-"

Moments later, Aurelia came crashing in - literally crashing his ship and knocking him from it, unconscious.

The other ships that had been perusing them were not in sight, but were probably not far behind. Aurelia, somewhat satisfied now, used her speaking ability to summon a nearby whale who scooped them into her mouth.

"Great, now we're being eaten," Mera sassed as the whale closed its mouth around them.  
"What exactly is your plan here?"

"To escape, with cover."

"And kidnap the prince."

"Yeah, well, didn't initially plan on that. But he deserves it."

"If you two would stop trying to kill each other for five minutes-"

"He started it!"

Mera groaned in exasperation. "Dumb animals," she huffed, picking some seaweed out of her hair.

"Hey, I just saved your life, thank you very much."

"I saved yours first!" Mera shot back.

The whale rumbled.

"Ha, ha, ha!" sneered Aurelia. "She says the coast is clear. And also, that I saved your life."

"I saved yours first!"

Aurelia lay back on the whale's tongue. "Hey, I meant to tell you, I've been practicing my hydrokinesis. Want me to demonstrate with this whale saliva?"

"Eww, no." Mera glanced down at the unconscious Orm, lying in a slimy puddle of said whale saliva. "What are you going to do about him?"

"I was thinking of dumping him out in a while – I'm joking," she said to Mera's slightly alarmed look. She sighed. "The only thing I can do now: bring him home with me."

"Well," sighed Mera. "That'll be interesting."

Aurelia nodded. Maybe she still had one friend here.

_Love Patrick's acting in this scene when he think's he's killed them - he looks so torn and heartbroken! And that chase is so epic!_

_Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my other Orm story! Will hopefully update it soon! :)_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)_


	6. Chapter Five - Unexpected Guest

Chapter Five - Unexpected Guest

Out of the few times Aurelia had brought a guy home, this was the worst.

Arthur bonked his head on the open hood of the truck when he heard a distant whistle aimed to get his attention. Looking up, he saw the familiar figure of his cousin emerging from the ocean, and she had someone with her.

Arthur rushed over, and once he was closer, found that she was supporting the weight of a young man.

"A little help here," she requested, and Arthur came over out support the limp man's other side so they supported him between them.

"You're back."

"Yup."

"That was quick."

"Yeah, things went a little sideways."

"Okay then. Who's this?"

"The prince."

"Hold on, the prince you're supposed to marry?"

"Yup."

"Oh, damn."

"Yeah, don't remind me. He's a royal pain in the ass."

Arthur just chuckled.

* * *

Mera hadn't come all the way back to Amnesty Bay with Aurelia and Orm. "There are spies I've been meeting with from the other kingdoms," she explained. "I'm trying to rally some rebels, hopefully enough for an army against Orvax and Orm."

But she hadn't left until she was certain Aurelia had memorized Atlan's final words in the message they had retrieved from the Deserter Kingdom.

_"In this trident resides the power of Atlantis. In the wrong hands, it would bring destruction, but, in the hands of the true heir, it would untie all of our kingdoms, above and below. If you seek my power, you must prove your worth. Journey beyond the end of the world to the Hidden Sea. Look inside the bottle for the charted path. Only in the hands of the true king can he truly see."_

"You cannot under any circumstances write it down," she ordered, and Aurelia saw her point. Not with Orvax's forces crawling around. Not while his son was unintentionally staying with her. So the spent the rest of the journey with the whale going over it.

"But, there's just one problem: we don't have the next piece. 'Look inside the bottle for the charted path...' Orvax stole the bottle, remember."

Mera smirked. "Then how do you explain this?" She produced a bottle - _the _bottle.

"Hey, what?"

"I swapped it - with an old bottle that you drink that disgusting drink beer out of."

Aurelia laughed. "Okay, I'm impressed. You really are a master spy. I only wish I could be there to see the look on the old man's face when he realizes."

"Why thank you. And so do I."

Shortly after - though not before making Aurelia recite the final words again perfectly - Mera left them, wishing Aurelia luck, who in turn wished Mera luck too.

"Well, Pretty Boy," she said once Mera was gone, Orm still unconscious. "It's just you and me now."

Good thing they didn't have too much longer on the journey until they reached home - her home.

* * *

"Maybe some duct tape?" Arthur suggested. He, Aurelia, and Tom all stood surrounding the table upon which lay the two broken halves of Atlanna's trident.

"She almost ran this thing right through me the first time we met," Tom chuckled, recalling the memory fondly even though he had almost died. "Luckily, she chose to spear the TV instead. Guess it startled her more than I did."

"So romantic," remarked Aurelia.

"Hey, your time will come," her father assured her. "You'll have your own romantic meeting and moments."

Aurelia finished her beer - hey, Mera's talk of beer bottles had made her thirsty - and stared down at the broken trident, holding her mother's Atlantean symbol necklace.

"Hey, it's not your fault." As if her father could read her mind. Maybe he could. Maybe that was his superpower.

"No, it definitely is."

Orm was still laying on the couch where they'd dumped him, hadn't moved an inch.

"You sure he's all right?" Arthur asked, peering down from where he towered over the blond. "Sure he's breathing?"

Aurelia filled a glass with water and came over to stand with Arthur at Orm's side. Tipping the glass, she poured the water over his face. The prince spluttered and coughed, instantly awake.

"Yup, he's fine. Morning Goldilocks. Or should I say afternoon."

Orm only groaned in response.

"See, he's fine."

"Ugh, my head..." Orm groaned.

"Yup, you got hit in the head by Aquawoman herself," said Arthur. "Maybe you hit him so hard he lost all his memories."

"Who's speaking? Where am I? Wait – oh no, not the surface..."

"Yup, sorry."

Orm shot to his feet so suddenly it shocked them all, including himself. He staggered from his movements, and then vomited a mouthful of water onto the living room rug.

"Yup, that's nasty," said Arthur.

Orm collapsed back onto the couch.

Orm's hair was long. Much longer than she'd realized. His helmet had been smashed off when she'd attacked his ship, and his hair had fallen from its tie and now fell around his shoulders, framing his face. She had a faint memory of a young boy with long golden locks. His hair looked even more golden on the surface.

Okay, she had to admit, it was a good look.

"You should have killed me in the Ring," he finally spoke, his voice steadier. "Instead of bringing me here, to your disgusting surface-"

"Hey, I didn't kill you, so you're welcome. And you're kinda like my prisoner now, so there will be no talking shit about my home, thank you very much. And don't let Dad hear you talking ill of the lighthouse."

Tom nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're in Aquawoman's domain now."

"Can we cut it with the Aquawoman stuff," she requested, knowing her father and cousin loved to tease her.

"This is treason - I am the Crown Prince-"

"Yeah, that's not gonna work here."

"You ruined the challenge-"

"_I_ ruined it?"

"-So technically, we're still in a duel."

"Hey, back off, Blondie." Arthur stepped between the two obviously pissed royals.

"Who are you?" demanded Orm.

"Arthur Curry, Aurelia's cousin, but more like a brother. So watch it."

"Listen here, Draco Malfoy," Aurelia continued. "I'm no happier about this than you are, trust me. Why are your eyes closed?"

"Cause my head hurts. Everything is way too bright."

"Says you with your bioluminescent tech. This is natural sunshine lighting. Enjoy it-" She was cut off when he began heaving, his blue eyes wide and jaw open, gasping as if for breath, clutching the wall for support.

"Whoa, hey, what's happening?" Aurelia asked.

"W-water," he managed before collapsing in a heap on the floor.

"Did he just - _die_?" cried Arthur.

The three Currys crowded around the fallen prince.

"Do Atlanteans normally shrivel up and die without water?" Arthur asked.

"I don't think so." Aurelia ran for the kitchen, hastily filling a glass with water and bringing it before Orm. "Hey, hey Orm. Can you hear me?"

Her answer was the glass getting kicked from her hand, smashing against the floor a ways away, and she, her cousin, and father getting shoved aside as Orm leapt to his feet and made a run for the door.

That smooth son of a - it had all been a ruse!

"Hey!" Aurelia dove over the couch towards the door, but Orm was already out of the house. She sprinted after him, tackling him just as he made to jump off the dock, both falling into the water entangled.

She thrashed around, disoriented, but found that Orm wasn't going anywhere - he was surrounded by her dolphin pals.

"Hey ladies, thanks for the help."

The dolphins chirped in response. Orm sneered.

* * *

_"Look inside the bottle for the charted path.' _The charted path..." Well this was a map, so that much made sense. But what beyond that?

"How's your riddle going?" Tom asked, joining Aurelia at the table.

"Well, I know that I have to go to Sicily next, but not why or for what." She wished Mera was here to help her with all the Atlantean knowledge she herself was lacking.

"Well, you do have a pretty close source," said Tom, at it again with his telepathy.

"Dad, I can't talk to him-"

"Yeah, just _talk _to him. Stop trying to beat the shit out of each other."

"King Atlan's final words?" Orm's voice made them jump.

"You know it?"

"Of course I know it. Not the actual words themselves, but of them. My father has spent my entire life searching for the whereabouts of the famed Trident."

Tom gave Aurelia a look of, _See_. She just rolled her eyes.

"Which means you're trying to find it too, and take the throne."

"Listen, I don't want to be doing this, trust me. But I don't want your father getting a hold of this trident and annihilating the surface. Or you for that matter. So I've gotta get there first, even if I despise the idea."

"You don't deserve such power."

"Okay, well you haven't exactly been 'Ruler of the Year' either-"

"I have been preparing for this my whole life. You could care less."

"Yes, yes I could."

"You should have taken my offer and left, then we wouldn't be in this mess."

"What, you wanna finish our fight, right here right now? Cause we're in my element now baby, so let's see who's superior."

"What did I just say?" sighed Tom. But the two were still in the heat of the argument.

"I said I didn't want to kill you, and I thought I did-"

"Oh, you mean when you shot me?! Into a pit of lava!"

"Hey, if you two would just shut up-"

"_He_ started it!"

"_She_ started it!"

Their words overlapped.

"Okay, outside, both of you. Go calm down," said Tom.

She shot him a look of, _Really Dad?_

"Go!"

Aurelia gave an exasperated sigh before storming out, Orm following.

"They're so cute," said Arthur.

"I'm already expecting grand kids."

Arthur laughed and clapped his uncle on the shoulder.

Aurelia huffed and kicked the sand, feeling Orm's eyes on her. She decided to take him by surprise, and swung at him.

"I believe I still owe you an ass-whooping. I like to live up to my promises so-" He held up a piece of drift wood but she punched right through it. Pretty soon she had tackled the prince to the ground, a knee on his chest.

"Whoa, the going-outside-to-cool-off-thing really helped. You two need some privacy?"

"Piss off, Arthur." She got to her feet and went back into the house. "I need a beer - anybody else?"

"There's none left," Tom informed her. "You've cleaned us right out."

"Bar then?"

"I'm game."

"Yes! I'm buying!"

_Whew, that was a lot longer than I thought, but fun! :) And Orm's 'oh no' line about the surface is inspired by Thor's similar line in 'Thor' when he lands on Earth ;)_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)_


	7. Chapter Six - Teach Me How to Flirt

Chapter Six - Teach Me How to Flirt

With that, the Currys hit the bar - bringing Orm along. No way were they leaving him at the lighthouse unattended. After all, as Aurelia said, he was her prisoner.

Orm had left his hair down, despite how it obviously annoyed him - despite his best efforts, he said it wouldn't tie back properly not being under water. He had also borrowed some of Arthur's clothes - neither man was too happy about that.

"I'll head out tomorrow morning," Aurelia told her father.

Tom nodded, though didn't look too happy about this, understandably. "You could rent a boat."

"That's not a bad idea actually."

"So, you and my cousin, huh?" Arthur went and plopped himself on the bar stool next to Orm while Tom and Aurelia discussed her situation. Orm just raised his eyebrows in questioning. Arthur chuckled. "Ah, come on, Man. I can tell you like her."

"We're betrothed - or at least we were."

"That sounds intense. But you don't like her just cause of that. Yeah, it's that obvious. You told her?"

"No, we were too busy trying to kill each other."

"Fair point. It sounds like you've got a lot going on, but you've gotta ask yourself what do you want when all this is over? Maybe you want similar things."

"She hates me. I can't just walk up to her and tell her how I feel."

"Sure you can. But first, have you tried a more subtle approach?" Another eyebrow raise in response. "Like flirting?" The blank response in the prince's almost too-blue eyes told Arthur everything. "Pretty new to this, huh? No biggie, I'll be your wingman."

Truth be told, Orm didn't understand a word the human was saying.

"Oh come on, you've gotta have this stuff 'under the sea'. Here, allow me to demonstrate - watch and learn." He waved at the young woman who was working behind the bar.

She gave him a knowing smile as she came over. "Back again, Arthur?"

"Just can't stay away." He flashed her a grin.

"The beer's that good, huh?"

"Yeah, and the service."

The woman chuckled. "I'll get you another round."

"Thanks." Still smiling, Arthur turned back to Orm, who looked very confused by what had just happened. "See, easy."

The woman came back with two overflowing glasses of amber liquid. "Enjoy boys."

"Thanks, we will." Arthur winked at the girl. "See, piece of cake. And you don't even have to say anything. Just look at her, smile, maybe brush some hair out of her face if you're feeling bold. Say nice things." Arthur clapped the prince on the shoulder before leaving him alone with his beer.

Orm closely examined the liquid, sniffed it, dipped his finger into the foam on top and tasted it. Deciding it was alright to continue, he took a sip - instantly spitting it back out and spluttering.

Meanwhile, at the Curry booth, Aurelia and Tom were still discussing her plans. "He's coming with me to Sicily," she told her father, speaking of Orm. "I'm not leaving him here with you. I'm not thrilled about it, but at least this way I can keep an eye on the guy."

"Hey, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Italy one of the most romantic places in the world?" said Arthur, rejoining them.

"I hate you."

He chuckled and nudged her good-heartedly. "Hey Couz, Blondie wants to see you."

"Oh goody." Looking over, she found Orm heaving with coughs. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing. Got him a beer."

She rolled her eyes but got up and went over to the counter where Orm sat, bringing her beer with her.

"What are you up to?" Tom asked his nephew once his daughter was gone.

"Nothing," Arthur said in mock-innocence, sipping his beer.

"Hey, you okay? Arthur didn't try and poison you, did he?" Aurelia asked, sliding onto the stool beside the still-coughing Orm.

"I'm thinking he may have." He noticed her staring. "What?"

"I'm just not used to seeing you with your hair down like that. Hey, you know who you look like? Raoul from _Phantom of the Opera-" _She was cut off when Orm reached up a hand, brushing aside the fringes of her hair that were dangling before her eyes. "Uh... what are you doing?"

"I'm flirting." His tone was proud and he gave an equally proud smile.

She could hear Arthur and Tom laughing behind them, it only stopping when she sent them a death glare. Oh, wonderful.

"You know I wouldn't listen to my cousin's romance advice. He's not exactly a pro." She rolled her eyes as she watched Arthur now flirting with the bartender yet again.

"Is she not his betrothed?" Now Orm sounded confused. "He spoke like she was. They acted like they were together."

Aurelia snorted. "Naw, he's just flirting for fun, for attention. You'd think he'd ask her out by now."

"Ask her out?"

"Yeah, you know, like on a date?" Now he looked deeply confused; she'd only confused him more. "You don't do that down in Sea World? Okay, well it's when two people who like each other romantically go out and spend time together doing something fun."

"Oh." He considered this. "That sounds... Nice..."

"Yeah. They usually do it at the start, then things either continue and they become a couple, maybe get married, maybe have a family, or not. And they try with someone else."

"Hmm, strange. Betrothal sounds much easier."

"Yeah, but what if you're betrothed to an-" She decided to reconsider her word choice. "-To someone you don't like? Are you really going to go through with it and spend the rest of your life with them?"

"It's duty."

"Okay, yeah, but still... Doesn't sound like a very happy life."

"And this 'dating' - what if you keep doing it and never find the right person?"

"Well, I guess that's a risk you have to be willing to take. It's hard, and it hurts sometimes, it can be discouraging, but you just have to believe that the right person will come along eventually, you just have to keep looking."

"And do you believe that?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes more than others. I haven't had a lot of luck myself, but look at my parents - they met cause my mom washed up on the shore and Dad helped her. So it can happen any time, any place. Just like that." She gulped down the rest of her beer. "A little pro tip: usually you don't tell the person you're flirting with that you're flirting with them. It just comes across naturally." She winked and then nodded to his untouched beer glass. "You gonna finish that?" He shook his head. She grabbed it and knocked it back, finishing it in one swig. "Ha!" She pounded the glass back onto the counter. "Did you see that, Dad?! Whoo!"

_Couldn't help but add the_ Phantom _reference ;) I haven't seen it, but I've seen pictures of Patrick from it and it's a good look! ;)_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)_


	8. Chapter Seven - Unexpected and Unwanted

Chapter Seven - Unexpected and Unwanted Guests

"So. Dry..." Aurelia, Arthur, and Tom all watched as Orm downed four huge glasses of water in a row. "I can feel myself shriveling up."

"Like a raisin," put in Arthur. "Or a prune."

"See, look at that." Orm held up his hand, which looked fine to everyone else. "It's cracking open it's so dry. I haven't had enough exposure to water."

"Oh, come on, you have the nicest complexion I've ever seen," Aurelia scoffed. "Relax, Drama Queen. You don't get out much, do you?"

"Not out of the water, no." Orm gulped down yet another glassful.

"Yeah, you can just use your creepy stalker tech for that, huh?"

_Thump_.

"What was that?" All four shared a glance as the sudden pounding continued.

_Thump_.

_Thump_.

_Thump_.

"The T-Rex from _Jurassic Park_?" said Arthur.

There was the sound of tearing and splintering wood as something came through the front door, but it wasn't a dinosaur. Though, they may have preferred a T-Rex: it was a group of Atlantean guards.

Aurelia immediately jumped in front of her father and cousin.

"Aurelia, Daughter of Atlanna, by the order of King Orvax you have been charged with high treason," came the voice of the head guard. "Prince Orm, you have been charged with high treason, by the order of King Orvax."

"What?!" cried Orm.

"Friends of yours?" yelled Arthur.

"Definitely not!" She dove out of the way of another blast. "Get you and Dad out of here!"

"Aurelia!" Tom tossed her the pieces of Atlanna's trident to defend herself. She swung them like batons.

Something behind her shattered, but she couldn't tell what it was. All she knew was that she was surrounded by armoured and heavily-armed guards. She kicked one guard, sending him flying through the front window. One guard elbowed her and sent her flipping over the back of the couch.

Disoriented, one quick glance made her see that the guards had cut off Tom and Arthur, and that they were separated. Arthur wrestled with the one guard, while the other held Tom at gunpoint.

"DAD!" she screamed.

There was a blast, only it didn't strike Tom - it struck the guard. Aurelia, Tom, and Arthur turned to see Orm had taken a blaster from a fallen guard and shot the other guard before he could shoot Tom.

"T-thank you," Aurelia cried.

He nodded. "Those were my father's guards."

She turned to the two humans. "A-are you both okay?"

"Still in one piece, at least," said Arthur.

She nodded. "Dad?"

Tom still looked understandably shaken and leaned against his nephew for support. "Watching you fight them - I was flashed right back to the day they came for your Mom."

"They know where we live, Dad. I think you should go stay with Arthur and Uncle Henry."

"But what if she comes back? I have to be here."

_But she's not! She's not coming back! _She wanted to scream. _She's never coming back to us! She can't..._ But she forced herself to hold her tongue. Now was not the time to tell him of Atlanna's fate. She still hadn't decided whether or not she would ever tell him the truth, and that she knew said truth.

She also knew her father, and knew how stubborn he was. There was no way she was getting him to leave his home.

"I'm very sorry," Orm said, surveying the damage.

"Not your fault," Aurelia assured him.

"They were looking for me."

"They were looking for _us_."

"I had no role in this," he said.

"I know you didn't." Aurelia picked up a side table, standing it back up despite the piece of furniture now being cracked. "Fine, Dad. You can stay. W-we'll help you clean up though-"

"Aurelia, go," her father insisted. "We'll be fine here. You have a mission to complete. Go."

She looked around at the disheveled living room. "But-"

"Aurelia, go." Tom handed her the map and bottle, pressing them into her hands. "You go, and finish this."

She nodded, but was still conflicted. She really didn't want to leave him now. "All right." She turned to Orm, who was still holding the blaster. "Let's go."

_Shorter-than-usual chapter, I know. I had more I wanted to add, but it's more light-hearted and funny, so I didn't think it quite fit with this more serious chapter (it will be in the next chapter though!)_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :) And school is finished now so I'm hoping updates will be more regular, yay! ;) Thanks again!_


	9. Chapter Eight - Along the Charted Path

Chapter Eight - Along the Charted Path

Through some connections with Tom's friends, Aurelia rented a boat to take them to Sicily - at least part of the way. With Orvax's forces crawling around under the sea, she figured swimming would be their most dangerous option. Although, in light of the recent attack, she wasn't so sure they were any safer on land. They needed to go to a landlocked country, where there was no nearby ocean. However, that was not Sicily.

"Let's hope we get all the way to Italy in one piece," she remarked.

At a young age, her dad had taught her to sail, one of the perks of living in a seaside town. The attack on the lighthouse had delayed their departure, so she spent the rest of the afternoon and into the evening teaching Orm the basics of sailing a small boat, but since he clearly wasn't interested, this grew tedious and frustrating quickly. They were already behind schedule.

As night fell, the two decided to try and get some sleep. Aurelia debated suggesting one of them stay awake and keep watch (Orm), but was exhausted herself, and figured that if something were to happen, at least one of them would wake up. She hoped she wasn't sealing their fate with this assumption.

It had been an unexpectedly exhausting day, thanks to the Atlanteans' attack, so both Aurelia and Orm decided to turn in early. That, and they had a big journey ahead of them.

Aurelia decided to arrange her blanket and pillow right in the centre of the main deck - this spot had a perfect view of the stars.

Looking over, she saw Orm was arranging himself at the far corner of the deck, jammed up against some supplies. "What'ca doin' over there?"

"Setting up a sleeping area for myself," he said as though stating the most obvious fact.

"Oh. You're not going to sleep here?"

"That's where you're sleeping."

"Yeah, but there's room for you." Sure, she had chosen the middle, but there was still lots of room all around her on all sides.

"I thought this would be a more suitable sleeping arrangement." Now Orm wouldn't meet her gaze.

She sat up, eyeing the prince curiously. "Okay... I don't bite, and I'm not going to attack you in your sleep. I already gave you an ass-whooping."

"I know. I just thought this way would be more - _appropriate_..."

"With you jamming yourself in the corner?" That wasn't fair, especially considering how much room there was.

He didn't reply. "Orm, what's up?" There was something he wasn't telling her, on top of his already strange behaviour.

He sighed. "It's just - seeing as we're unmarried, we're really not supposed to sleep together. So, I thought I would save us some - _awkwardness_ \- and sleep over here..."

Ah. There it was.

"Oh... Okay..." She didn't really know what to say. She hadn't realized how concerned about that he had been. "I mean, thank you for being so considerate, but if you're worried about offending me, or something like that, you're really not, at all... It's no big deal."

"Fine, I'll sleep there if you really want me to."

"I mean there's lots of room, man. You don't have to squish yourself in the corner if you don't want to."

"Fine." He brought over his blanket and pillow, dropping them beside her and lying down, still with a significant gap between them.

There was a moment of silence, drifting on for so long it was borderline awkward.

"So, have you never-"

"No," he cut her off. "I was saving myself for my wedding night, as is tradition."

"Okay. Fair enough."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"No, of course not. I never said there was. Just wondering. And sleeping together doesn't have to mean that. It can mean what we're doing now, literally sleeping. Or, well, in our case, trying to fall asleep."

"You don't have that tradition on the surface?"

"Used to, throughout history it was really big. It's more of a choice now. You can wait until your married or not, up to you. You do you."

"Strange."

"It's just different than what you're used to."

"But you've-"

"Yeah, I have." This time she cut him off. "I've had a few boyfriends. Each time I thought he was 'the one', you know? Like how my parents just knew that they were the ones for each other. I still don't really get how they knew, but they knew. And I thought I knew too, but then he'd never turn out to be." She shrugged. "Plus they never really understood how different I was." Recalling this stirred up some bottled up emotions deep within her, so she was eager to change the subject. "Have you had any girlfriends?"

"I've always been betrothed." He didn't need to add 'to you.' "I felt like being romantically involved with anyone else was a betrayal of that. I will be fully committed to the one I love. Unlike my father, who cheated on my mother many times. Theirs was not a happy marriage, nor a good one, it goes without saying. But I want mine to be."

"Well then she'll be a lucky woman, whoever she is."

"I hope so."Here, he turned his head and looked at her. _I hoped it would be you._

She kept her gaze on the sky, despite feeling his eyes on her. "Have you ever kissed anyone?"

He shifted beside her. "I think we should stop talking about this."

That was answer enough. "Wow, you're really taking this whole betrothed thing to heart." She admired it, and found it sweet. Knowing herself, she would probably have teased him about it, but she felt nothing but admiration for his choices. He would be a truly loyal and loving husband one day, she had no doubt. _That woman better know how lucky she is, whoever she is._

He cleared his throat. "Well, that is, if I'm ever even allowed back home. You heard the guards, my father thinks I've committed treason. And he's not a forgiving man."

"Well, maybe you're better off without it, Atlantis and all that."

He replied with no hesitation. "But it's my home."

"Yeah, but, that doesn't mean-"

"It's home." He rolled over so that he was facing away from her. "Goodnight, Aurelia."

"G'night, I guess..."

As they drifted off, side-by-side, Aurelia realized that her suggestion had been rather insensitive. She was suggesting Orm just leave his home behind, the only world he had known. And for what? He certainly wouldn't consider the surface world. It would be like if someone told her to leave the lighthouse. Where would she go? Atlantis? Hell no.

Everything and everyone she loved was there in Amnesty Bay.

She wouldn't give it up for anything.

_Thank you to 'Wonder Woman' for inspiring this scene! ;)_

_Happy New Year folks! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :) _


	10. Chapter Nine - Allies or Enemies?

Chapter Nine - Allies or Enemies?

As soon as she awoke the next morning, Aurelia was met by a thick fog, which hung heavy and hugged close to the boat. Must have rolled in over night.

This wasn't of huge concern, not until the fog gave way into a rapid-onset, high-intensity storm.

"Where the hell did this come from?" she cried while running back and forth across the deck, trying to secure and steady the boat, Orm helping the best he could with his limited knowledge of sailing. Both were thrashed about as the waves rocked the boat. Luckily neither of them needed to fear the risk of drowning.

The fog had begun to clear while the storm raged on. Up ahead, Aurelia just managed to catch a glimpse of land.

"Abandon ship!" she finally shouted. "Swim for shore!"

Grabbing only what they needed - which was really only the bottle - both she and Orm dove overboard.

It was a bit of a fight to swim through the storm-angered water, but eventually both made it to shore, collapsing onto the beach, breathless.

"Now what?" Orm asked.

"Why are you asking me?" was her way of replying that she had no idea either. "Where the hell even are we?"

Now that they had reached the land, it was as though the storm had never existed. It was a clear day on this island of gold beaches and emerald hills, surrounded by water of bright turquoise.

Aurelia shielded her eyes from the beating sun. "Hey, wait a second - I know this place-" The long beach and the rolling green hills tugged at her memory.

Her pondering didn't last very long, however.

An arrow whizzed past them. Up ahead, armed figures appeared.

Soon the two Atlanteans were being chased down the beach.

Aurelia waved her arms over her head to try and get their attention. "Hey! It's me, Aurelia - Princess Aurelia, Daughter of Atlanna, Queen of Atlantis! We come in peace!"

Orm just groaned. "Amazons."

* * *

"This really isn't necessary."

Aurelia and Orm were kneeling before Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, in the great hall, their wrists bound by rope and surrounded by armed Amazon guards.

"Princess Aurelia, it has been many years since you last graced us with your presence."

"Yeah, well, I was only coming here to help me prepare to 'fulfill my destiny' and I'm still struggling with that destiny..."

"What is your mission?"

"Uh..." Aurelia and Orm exchanged a glance. Orm shook his head. "That's classified..."

"Well, classified or not, it would be in your best interests to share it with us."

"We do not trust you," growled Orm.

"I do," Aurelia jumped in. "He may not, but I do."

"You may, but I'm afraid you have broken our trust, Princess Aurelia."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, seeing as you have aligned yourself with the Prince and future King of Atlantis, that speaks for itself."

"Okay, like I knew you all had some feud going on, but this is something else..." She turned to the Amazon who was holding the ropes binding her. "Hey, Venelia, right? You trust me, yeah?" The warrior said nothing. Aurelia sighed and turned back to the queen. "Look, this isn't what it looks like, okay. I have not aligned myself with anyone here, this is more of an accidental team-up. I'm on a mission, and Orm is actually my prisoner so I had to bring him along. Plus, we're both fugitives, running from the king."

"You have betrayed your father?" Hippolyta now addressed Orm.

"So it would seem."

"I must say I am surprised."

"Me too, honestly," said Aurelia.

The queen remained firm. "Still, we have the upper hand here. You will tell us what you are doing."

"We're actually rivals for the throne," Aurelia continued. "Even though I want nothing to do with it-"

"And King Orvax would not give up his crown so easily."

"Yeah, no, probably not. Listen, I dislike the guy too - no offence Orm."

"None taken."

"Basically, we're just trying to gain the upper hand. There's this special trident you see-"

"_Seriously?!_" cried Orm.

"Oh, come on, they're obviously not going to help your father. Whoever holds it rules over Atlantis and the sea-"

"The Lost Trident of Atlan. Yes, I am aware," stated Hippolyta.

"Oh, you know it. Okay, cool. Saves me from having to explain it all then. We're just trying to get to it first and stop Orvax from laying waste to the surface world. I won't let that happen. And honestly, as soon as he does that, he'll probably come for you, his next top enemy."

"Yes, most likely. Release them," the queen ordered the guards. Aurelia gave a sigh of relief. Orm just looked pissed.

"You have an important mission ahead of you - our fates rest in your hands."

"Yup, no pressure there." The queen gave her a stern look. "Sorry. Please continue."

Hippolyta sighed. "I have a daughter - Diana. One hundred years ago she left the island and traveled into the World of Man to stop a war. She's never returned. She is working in a museum now, in Paris, France."

"Diana Prince? Wonder Woman? Oh yeah, I know her! We've bumped into each other a few times on 'hero' business."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. I want her to come home. You will deliver this message to her."

"Okay..."

"And if you succeed and Diana returns home, we offer our armed forces to your assistance."

"Atlantis does not need the 'assistance' of any Amazons," sneered Orm.

"Shh, shh, shut up!" scolded Aurelia before addressing the queen again. "Thank you, that's very generous of you. I might just take you up on that later."

"Later for our part of the bargain. You find her now."

"Oh, you mean like right now... We're actually on quite a bit of a time crunch - okay, yeah, no sweat, we'll get right on that," she answered to another stern look from the warrior queen. "Paris, here we come."

"We will join you in the fight against King Orvax. Your father has never been very respectful, towards anyone really. And especially not towards women," Hippolyta said, eyeing Orm.

"Yeah, tell me about it," agreed Aurelia.

"Your own mother included."

"I do not need to be reminded of my father's ways towards my mother. Thank you for stirring up those memories," Orm sneered.

"You have our allegiance - should you uphold your end of the bargain."

"Thank you. We will," Aurelia assured her.

The queen nodded. "Thank you. You will leave at once."

"Yeah - uh, but our boat, we had to abandon it out in the storm..."

"Well swim then. You're Atlanteans - you are naturally good swimmers."

_And here we tie back to what was established all the way back in the prologue! Who else is excited for 'Wonder Woman 1984'?! :D_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this (much overdue) chapter! :)_


	11. Chapter Ten - A Slight Detour

Chapter Ten - A Slight Detour

Luckily, France was on the way to Italy, at least from they way they were travelling.

Also luckily, the swim didn't seem very long from Themyscira to France.

"God, I love Paris," Aurelia declared as she and Orm stood in the city centre. "So full of culture and history - hey, if you want to learn more about the richness of surface-dweller life, you've come to the right place." She nudged the prince who just looked unimpressed.

"Hey, a lot of technological advancements were made throughout history right here," Aurelia told him. "Bet you think that's pretty cool, huh?" Still, he said nothing. She was beginning to wonder if anything would impress him.

But she decided not to focus too much on that and instead on the fact that they were in Paris!

Ah, Paris, the City of Light. Supposedly one of the most romantic cities in the world as many people believed... Good thing Arthur wasn't here to make any jokes about that.

From Themyscira they swam through the English channel, resurfacing at Calais, Aurelia unable to help herself in giving Orm a World War II history rant. From there they had hitched a ride to Paris - and some dry clothes.

Upon reaching Paris they headed straight for the Louvre - no time to waste.

"Damn, I really wish we had more time to look around," Aurelia said as they entered the museum. "You know, this place houses some of the most famous art in the world, like Da Vinci's _Mona Lisa_-"

"Let's make this quick," Orm finally spoke, cutting off her art lesson.

"Spoilsport." Aurelia strode up to the front desk and spoke to the receptionist in French, asking to see Diana.

"Ms. Prince will be right with us," she then translated to Orm.

"Wonderful," the prince sighed.

"Aurelia Curry!" A very smiley raven-haired woman strode up to them a few minutes later.

"Diana Prince! Wonder Woman," Aurelia said, giving Diana a hug.

"Aquawoman."

"Yeah, yeah, we all know you have the cooler name."

"It's so nice to see you. What brings you to Paris?" Then she turned to Orm. "Orm of Atlantis."

"That's Prince Orm of Atlantis to you, Amazon."

"Hey, hey, please be nice," pleaded Aurelia. She turned to her fellow superhero. "Is there somewhere we could go to talk?"

"We can go to my office," Diana suggested.

"Awesome, perfect, thank you."

Aurelia and Orm followed Diana through the museum and into the back where the offices were. Diana's own office was adorned in Ancient Greek-themed artifacts.

"You've got your own great little museum here," Aurelia commented. "So cool."

"I'm glad you like it. Now, what is it you wanted to discuss. It sounds serious."

"It is."

Orm and Aurelia both opened the mouths at the same time to elaborate further. "I'll do the explaining please," she requested. Orm just sighed.

And so Aurelia launched into an explanation of what was going on for them with Atlantis and the trident, and now the new development having been to Themyscira and seeing the Amazons. She explained Queen Hippolyta's terms.

At this point in the tale, Diana turned away and began arranging papers on her desk. "Mother never wanted me to leave in the first place."

"Honestly, I wouldn't want to leave either. I mean an island paradise verses this crazy world? Seems like an easy decision to me. But that's just me."

"It was a paradise, but still I felt trapped there."

"Fair enough."

Diana sighed. "I want to help you, Aurelia, I really do, but I don't know if I can make such a sacrifice. I have a life here now."

"I know, and I know that we're asking a lot of you, but we're not asking you to return forever. Just for a visit."

"It's been so long since I've been there."

"Do you miss it? Even a little?"

"Yes, it's my home."

"And where your family is." Aurelia sighed. "Listen, speaking from experience, we've both lost our Moms." She gestured to herself and Orm. "I think I speak for both of us when I say that if we had the chance to see them again, even if just for a moment, we would take it without question. Please, don't lose this chance to see your mother again. She wants to see you again so badly. And I think you would like to see her too."

Diana sighed, but nodded. "Very well. I see your point. I have a life here now, that I do not wish to abandon. But I will return home for a short while to see my mother."

"Is it possible for that to happen very soon?"

"Yes, I should be able to make that work."

"Oh, thank goodness! Thank you!" Aurelia clapped her hands together. "Our work here is done."

"Good," said Orm.

"So now where are you off to?" Diana asked, both women ignoring the moody prince.

"Italy."

"This will be quite the journey once it is all completed."

"Yeah, no kidding, tell me about it. It already has been."

"Please, you have swam a long way. Take my boat to Italy."

"Oh, are you sure?"

"Yes, of course. I built it myself."

"Okay, cool, thanks."

"Here, I'll give you the name of the port and directions." Diana scribbled down the information and handed it to Aurelia, who tucked the note inside the bottle for safe keeping.

The women hugged goodbye. Then Diana turned to Orm. "I never understood the rivalry between our people. I hope that can change someday." She extended her hand. "Good luck, Prince Orm."

Orm just stared back at her. Aurelia nudged him. "Go on, shake the lady's hand. She's been very helpful."

Orm sighed and reluctantly did so, a very brief handshake.

Aurelia sighed back. "See what I'm dealing with?" she said to Diana. "Thank you, for everything."

"You're welcome." Diana lowered her voice. "You and the prince..."

"Oh hell no. You sound like my cousin."

Diana chuckled. "Well, speaking from experience, hold on tightly to those you love. You never know if they will be snatched away." There was a certain sadness reflected in her eyes, that of a broken heart.

"Okay then, thanks for the tip. Now, onto Italy!"

_Just a little romance advice from Wonder Woman herself! ;) That's pretty special, Aurelia!_

_ So, speaking of Diana, I've revisited a Wonder Woman story, just thought you might be interested! (Not sure if I've mentioned it already!) It follows both Wonder Woman movies!_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)_


	12. Chapter Eleven - From One Romantic City

Chapter Eleven - From One Romantic City to Another

They probably looked a little strange, rolling up to the Sicily docks in a wooden sailboat. Diana had been very generous in letting them borrow it, and had insisted they do so.

"You're a lucky guy," Aurelia remarked to Orm. "First time on the surface and you've already seen some of the glittering jewels of cities. Now, welcome to Sicily."

They wandered through the market square. Orm was taking in everything around them.

"You look curious."

"I'm not," he insisted.

"Liar."

Up ahead, a flower seller handed Orm a bouquet of red roses, nodding to Aurelia, meaning for Orm to present her with the flowers. Orm didn't quite understand this however, and instead focused on Aurelia eating something from another stall.

When Aurelia turned around she was met by Orm munching on a bouquet of flowers. Apparently they tasted pretty good because he held them out to her, offering her some. It was actually adorable.

Not about to embarrass him or reject his generous offer, she bit the flower off the stem of one. As soon as Orm turned around, she spat the flower out. A nearby cat watched her. She put a finger to her lips and whispered "Shh."

"My roses!" cried the flower seller.

"He's not from around here," Aurelia offered, nodding to Orm.

By a fountain, a little girl was throwing coins into the water.

"Stupid humans," muttered Orm. "This is why the oceans are clogged."

"Oh relax would you. This a fountain, none of this water goes into the ocean. And people believe it grants them wishes."

"Does it really?"

"Some believe it does."

The little girl noticed them, holding her last coin out to Orm. After an encouraging nod from Aurelia, Orm took the coin.

"Make a wish!" the girl said. "But don't tell anyone, otherwise it won't come true."

Orm waited a few seconds before tossing the coin into the fountain with a little _splash_.

"Did you make a wish?" the girl asked him.

"Yes, um, thank you." Then he waved his hand before the fountain, making small seahorses and dolphins appear in the spray with hydrokinesis. He chuckled as the little girl gasped, utterly astonished, smiling at her reaction.

"You like kids?" Aurelia asked him.

"Yes, I do. Why?"

"Hmm, just didn't associate you with that. You keep surprising me."

"I would like to have children of my own someday. Do you want children?"

She shrugged. "Not sure, haven't really given it much thought."

A book stand was selling volumes in various languages. One familiar author and title caught her eye. "Hey, Jules Verne! My favourite quote from him is, 'Put two ships in the open sea, without wind or tide, and, at last, they will come together...' Reminds me of how my parents met. And I think it's how a lot of great love stories work." They locked eyes. His piercing blue gaze held hers.

Finally, she was able to pull her own gaze away. She put the book back, clearing her throat. "Good old Jules Verne." She clapped her hands together. "Come on, let's go."

They soon found themselves on a cliffside overlooking the bright blue ocean, surrounded by Roman statues and columns.

Aurelia recited the final line from Atlan's message. "_Journey beyond the end of the world to the Hidden Sea. Look inside the bottle for the charted path. Only in the hands of the true ruler can they truly see."_

"Give it to me." Orm extended his hand.

"Why?"

"_The one true ruler._"

Was he for real? "Seriously?"

"That's what the riddle says."

"It doesn't say 'king'."

"Well it also doesn't say 'queen'."

"No offence, Your Highness, but I'm pretty sure King Atlan wasn't referring to you in his prophecy. Don't flatter yourself. _Look through the bottle..."_ She held it up to her eye. "Oh, man..."

"What? Let me see-" Orm snatched it from her hands, also peering through it. "Whoa..."

The inside of the bottom of the bottle was inscribed with a little map.

"But how do you know where to point it?"

"I don't think King Atlan meant either of us, or any Atlantean ruler for that matter..." Aurelia wandered over to one of the statues. "Marcus Agrippa. He was a great general, but he wasn't a king. Neither was this guy..." She began wandering from statue to statue.

"How do you know all this?" asked Orm.

"My dad, he made sure I know my history. Impressed?"

"Yes, I'll admit I am."

"Huh, well then I'm impressed that you're actually impressed by something." She smiled before turning back to the statues. "None of these guys were kings except for-" She turned to the final statue. "Romulus. First King of Rome. 'Rom' in Romulus equals Rome - get it?"

"Yeah, I get it."

Aurelia chuckled. "_Only in the hands of the true ruler can they truly see..." _Romulus's hand was even outstretched, and the bottle fit in his grasp perfectly.

Orm was tall enough not to need a boost to peer through the bottle. "Oh wow - there it is! Straight ahead."

"Okay, hey, step aside, small people in the front-" Aurelia pushed ahead of him to get a better look, standing up on the edge of the base of the statue to give herself some more height in order to see. "Oh, baby! That is sweet! Mera would be so proud! That's our next stop - there's our heading - whoa!" In her excitement, she slipped off the back of the statue. Luckily Orm was still standing behind her and caught her fall.

He held her; their faces were close. "Well done."

"Thanks. Not so bad for a 'dirty, rotten half-breed,' huh?"

His face fell. "I should never have called you that. I'm very sorry. I hope you will accept my apology." She surprised him by laughing. "What?"

"You just never cease to surprise me. And apology accepted."

"Good, I'm glad. And you keep surprising me too."

"Now see, that was flirty," she informed him.

Given just a moment longer, they may have kissed.

Ah, but romance is never quite that easy, is it?

Instead, they were forcefully blasted apart, thrown to other parts of the area in a sudden onset attack.

_They're becoming more flirty ;) haha! _

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed as always! :)_


	13. Chapter Twelve - Another Enemy

Chapter Twelve - Another Enemy

"That's my best technology," Orm cried, recognizing it right away, once he had recovered somewhat from the blast, to no one in particular.

"Aurelia!" Before Orm could rush to her aid, he was surrounded by guards - his own guards.

"I order you to stand down," he commanded the guard who held a blade to his neck.

"Prince Orm, you have been charged with high treason. Your father has stripped you of your title, we no longer take orders from you."

Orm responded by grabbing the soldier's weapon and attacking the guards.

Meanwhile, the main attacker, in the black armour with a giant helmet and large red eye sockets, was focused on Aurelia while the other guards handled Orm.

"Who the hell are you and how did I manage to piss you off?" Aurelia stumbled to her feet.

"Maybe this'll jog your memory-" A blade shot out from the man's gauntlet - like a pirate sword.

"You're the guy from the sub." Her mission before all this Atlantis business. The pirate she had left for dead. This was his son, coming to seek revenge. And he'd had help from her enemies in Atlantis, it would seem.

"Why don't you go tell Orvax that if he wants me dead that badly, he'll have to do it himself."

"Not if I get to it first!" He lunged forward.

As they fought, Aurelia tried to catch sight of Orm, somewhere, anywhere, but she had no luck. She had no idea where he was, and could only hope he was okay.

A blast from the man's suit shot her back - she held up her arms for defence. When she landed, both her arms were badly burnt, even through her shirt sleeves.

"You may have been victorious before, but now I have Atlantean tech on my side. Call me - BLACK MANTA!"

"AHH!" She let out a cry when his sword stabbed her right in the shoulder.

The next blast sent her shooting right off the cliffside - and right through the roof of one of the cottages below. And elderly Italian woman was sitting on her couch, staring at Aurelia now lying on her floor.

"_Scusa_," she apologized, before having to take off to avoid the pirate again.

He blasted her again, sending her sliding across the rooftops. "You owe me blood!"

"AURELIA!" Across the village, she could just make out blasts from the other Atlantean weapons, shooting after Orm as he raced across the rooftops.

The next blast struck the bell tower, the bell giving a great, echoing RING!, echoing across the whole town. The impact of the blast sent the giant, heavy bell bouncing down the hillside towards the street, where people were rushing about in the chaos. The bell picked up speed, rolling towards the people, right in the path of a little girl.

The little girl from earlier at the fountain! "NO!" Aurelia dove in just in the nick of time, bumping the giant bell aside with her shoulder. She was definitely going to have a massive bruise on her shoulder after this. The girl's father picked her up and carried her into the church.

A nearby man was trapped under a large chunk of rubble, so Aurelia rushed to his aid, managing to lift the slab of stone just enough for him to crawl out and join his family in the church. Luckily, he didn't seem to be injured.

"Everyone inside the church!" she called, ushering everyone inside. God, they were sure making a mess of beautiful Sicily.

"We'll pray for you!" a trio of nuns cried to her in Italian while she ushered everyone into the church.

"Pray for yourselves, I don't need it," she replied. A blast shot right over her head. "You know, maybe on second thought, I do need it."

Another blast struck her, this one so powerful it sent her smashing through the wall of a nearby building.

"Aurelia!"

"Orm!" For once she was relieved to see him. It looked as though he had gone crashing through the roof.

"Are you okay?" They helped each other get to their feet.

"Well, still alive, so that's good."

"No, you're hurt," he cried, noticing her blood-stained shirt.

"Oh, yeah, well, this isn't over yet." She was growing weary.

"The guards are coming," Orm alerted her. "We're outnumbered and weaponless."

"Wait-"

"What?"

She looked around them. "We're in a wine shop - liquid." She grabbed a nearby bottle, yanking the cork out with her teeth and taking a hearty gulp. "Huh, not bad - I'm more of a beer girl myself, but this is pretty good. Would prefer to drink it but at least it won't be going to waste."

"What?"

"I've been working on my hydrokinesis," was all the explanation she gave him. She stretched out her arms; the bottles began to tremble.

Then, all at once, the bottles shattered, causing a burst of dark red liquid to surround them. Aurelia caught it with hydrokinesis, concentrating all into one handful, before launching it at the guards. The liquid became shards, striking the guards like blades before dissolving back into its usual liquid form, becoming droplets that looked like blood.

"I wanna see you try that," Aurelia said to the speechless Orm.

But the fight wasn't over - the pirate still remained. Aurelia jumped in front of Orm.

"I'll show you the same mercy you showed my father and cut you like the fish you are!"

"AHH!" He stabbed her with a dagger, this time in the other shoulder. She managed to shove him away and yank out the dagger.

A thick chain, part of a fence that had been destroyed in the chaos, lay at her feet. She picked it up, swinging it around to gain momentum, before launching it at their attacker. The pirate's helmet charged up to bast again, only it did so just as the end of the chain swung around, smashing him in the face and causing the blast to backfire. The suit's flight ability was clearly damaged, sending the man flying right into a wall before crashing down the side of the cliff into the rocky water below.

"Aurelia!" Orm raced to her side as she collapsed, covered in blood. "Hey, hey, look at me, stay with me - Aurelia, hey-"

The last thing she was conscious of was being in Orm's arms as he held her before everything faded and went dark.

_Love love love this action scene! Mera using the wine as a weapon is just so cool so I had to include it here even though Mera isn't in this scene in my version!_

_Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :) Also, I'm hoping to update my other Orm story in the next day or two!_


	14. Chapter Thirteen - Understanding

Chapter Thirteen - Some Sort of Understanding.

"Ah, come on, I didn't drink that much..." When Aurelia awoke, she was majorly hung-over. With her ability to breathe underwater, it was more difficult for her to get drunk, so if she felt this terrible she must have had one hell of a night at the bar last night.

She groaned, sitting up in bed - or not. This wasn't her bed, or her room. She was on the deck of a boat - in the middle of the ocean.

Oh, right.

The fight with the pirate and the Atlanteans in Sicily. No wonder it felt like she had been run over by a cruise line ship.

The stab wounds and cuts on her shoulders had been patched up, and her burnt arms had been wrapped in - seaweed? Well, it had worked, because the burns were definitely soothed. She figured she had a pretty good idea of who to thank for that, but there was no sign of him.

"_Everything you are..."_

No sign of him, but she could hear him.

At first, Aurelia thought she was imagining it. But then, she realized, she had definitely heard it - Orm's voice.

He was singing. And not softly, under his breath, but out loud and clear.

Wow, he really was a Disney prince.

_"Everything you are, is everything I need. You're everything to me..." _

She walked over, entranced, not wanting him to stop.

He did stop however, when he noticed her. "Oh, hello."

"Hi." Both were silent for a moment. "That was really nice."

"Oh, thanks." He looked at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck. Was he blushing? It made her smile. "My mother used to sing that to me as a lullaby before I went to bed. After a tough day of training where my father constantly told me I wasn't good enough, it lifted my spirits. He says a king doesn't sing."

"Well, you should. King or not."

"Thanks."

"So you like music then?"

"Yes. Do you?"

"Oh yeah. I love all the greats: Queen, Bowie, Elton, Zeppelin, Journey, ABBA, Pink Floyd... I'll play my albums for you sometime. I'm a bit of a collector." She glanced at their surroundings. By the looks of it, they were on small fishing boat. "Uh, did you steal a boat?"

"Are the boats at the marina not for public use?"

"No, those belong to people."

"Oh..."

She chuckled and sat down next to him. "Looks like I've turned you into a bit of a wild rebel. You can thank me later."

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay, still a little rough. Thanks for your help."

"Of course. You were in pretty rough shape. I'm no physician, but I have learned how to address battle wounds." He nodded. "Those guards were my father's lead commandos. The one that led them wasn't an Atlantean. I'd never seen him before."

"I have. We fought before, in the past. He and his father were pirates. He blames me for his father's death."

"Well, they picked a dangerous line of trade. It's not your fault."

"That's not how it feels. Seeing him again reminded me that playing the hero is often not easy. I let him die, the father - I could have saved him but I didn't. And now I've made an enemy, and he could have hurt you or others, and that would have been my fault."

"Well, he's behind us now. It's what lies ahead that should concern us. The charted path leads to the Kingdom of the Trench."

"Those the same creatures that killed our mothers?"

"Yeah. They were taken there and sacrificed to them. It's become a place of death. I know next to nothing about what's down there, only rumours, and none of them are pleasant."

"We should turn back."

"What?"

"We can still warn the surface, try and prepare them for what's coming-"

"Turn back? Aurelia, you may have dragged me into this against my will, but we've come this far - too far to turn back now."

"Look, I learned from a young age not to show weakness, okay. I was always the freak who was different, who got picked on and called out. That really gets to you. I solve my problems through my anger and my fists. I'm a blood instrument and I'm damn good at it. But I have done nothing but get my ass kicked this entire journey. I'm not a leader, and I'm certainly not a queen, and I don't play well with others. I can't let you or anyone else get hurt or die trying to make me something I'm not."

"I learned that from a young age too," Orm said. "Not to show weakness. Had it drilled into me from the time that I could speak and walk. I have been told my whole life that I'm not good enough, that I'm unworthy. That gets to you too. I was told it so much I started to believe it myself."

"Sounds like we both need someone to believe in us."

"My mother did, and I believe yours did too."

"Yeah. I miss her but I don't really remember her. I don't know what I'm missing. It's kind of a curse."

"Whereas I have the other side of that curse," he said. "I remember my mother very well, and miss her so much. But although the memories make me sad, they're good memories, and I am so fortunate to have them."

"Yeah, you're lucky."

"I believe in you. You think you're unworthy to lead because you are of two different worlds, but that is exactly why you _are_ worthy, Aurelia. You are the bridge between land and sea, between those two worlds, I can see that now. Now, the question that remains is, can you? See it?"

"I don't know yet," she admitted.

"Well, I see it. And I know I'm not the only one."

"I'm starting to believe in you too," she told him.

This made him smile a little. "I'm glad."

She smiled back - it looked like they had come to some sort of understanding.

But that smile quickly fell when she saw what lay ahead of them: thick, dark storm clouds brewing in the sky ahead, right in their path. "Yikes, that doesn't look fun. You sure we're on the right track?"

"Yes. That means we're getting closer to the Trench. Powerful dark magic is at work there."

"Great... Dark magic, huh?"

"Yup."

"Lovely."

And they were heading right for it.

_When I learned Patrick Wilson was in Phantom of the Opera I was like, 'Orm HAS TO SING in this story! ;) Patrick's long-haired look from that movie is how I picture Orm with his hair down (may have mentioned that before!)_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :) Only a couple of chapters left till the end!_


	15. Chapter Fourteen - Entrenched

Chapter Fourteen - Entrenched

The sky had darkened, the sea beginning to stir, as though something was brewing within its very depths...

"We're close," Orm announced. "Prepare yourself."

"For what?"

"I don't know."

"Great..."

Pretty soon they were engulfed by the storm, like the one outside the borders of Themyscira, though this one even stronger. Powerful dark magic indeed.

The boat had been pulled into a thin strip of water, surrounded on pretty much all sides by deadly cliffs that the current seemed to be threatening to smash them into at any given moment.

"Stay alert!" she called to Orm over the howling of the wind and thrashing of the waves all around them. "Get ready to whip out your hydrokinesis powers if we start getting pushed towards the rocks." He nodded.

"_Everything you are..."_

At first, Aurelia thought she had imagined it - it was difficult to hear anything over the wind and storm. But she wasn't imagining it.

_"...Is everything I need..."_

A soft, enchanting singing voice, gentle but strong enough to carry over the sounds of the raging storm, singing the very song Orm had been singing just hours earlier.

_"...You're everything to me..."_

But where was it coming from? They were alone, or so it seemed.

Orm had noticed too. "Mother-" Suddenly, he was at the edge of the boat, gripping the rail. If he leaned any further over he would fall into the water. "Mother!"

"Orm - what the-"

"It's my mother, that's her voice, she's singing our song! I know it's her!"

She didn't have the heart to remind him. _But your mother's dead. _

"MOTHER!" He suddenly yelled, as though he was calling to someone - to her. "She's there! Look, it's really her!"

Aurelia looked to where he was pointing. Indeed, a figure stood at the cliff's edge right ahead of them, the source of the singing.

But that wasn't his mother.

Sirens.

"Oh, good thing I know my mythology. Thanks for all the history lessons, Dad." They were sure coming in handy on this expedition, that was for sure.

_Splash!_

There went Orm, over the side of the boat, swimming frantically towards the woman.

"Orm - hey! Oh, Jesus-"

She could see the creature in its true form, but it had clearly taken on the form of Opal in hopes of luring Orm to his doom. And it was working.

"Orm! Orm, God damn it!" She launched herself over the side of the boat and into the icy water, having no other choice. The thrashing waves and stirring sea made it difficult to chase after him, even for an Atlantean and gifted swimmer.

"Orm!"

But nothing phased him - his only goal was getting to the woman who he believed to be his mother. It was honestly heartbreaking, and incredibly cruel on the Siren's part.

The Siren was in the water now, swimming to meet Orm.

Before she could reach him, a tiny waved came and splashed her in the face. Aurelia had used her hydrokinesis.

The creature turned and growled at her. This time Aurelia sent a bigger wave her way, striking the woman in the chest. The creature went smashing into the rocky cliff-side, vanishing.

"Mother! Mother - NO!" yelled Orm, fighting and thrashing against Aurelia as she tried her best to drag him back to the boat.

At last, she managed to get him back to safety, after a lot of struggling. She threw him down on the deck. "Stay down!"

"Mother! Mother no-" Orm gradually stopped thrashing, his words fading. Then he sat up, blinking at Aurelia. "W-what just happened?"

"Sirens, mythological figures. They take on the appearance of beautiful women and lure men to their dooms in the depths of the ocean."

"It seemed so real... I could have sworn that was her - she was even singing our song ..."

Aurelia just looked at him sympathetically.

He rubbed a hand over his face and shuddered. "That was awful."

Aurelia suppressed a shudder of her own. "Yeah, it was."

"Thank you for stopping me."

"Yeah. No more throwing yourself overboard, okay?"

"Deal." He got to his feet, she helping him as he was still a little unsteady. "That was bad, but the worst is yet to come."

"Awesome."

* * *

He was right: the worst did come. Though neither expected it to happen the way it did.

Aurelia was wandering the deck, soaked to the skin and being pelted by heavy rainwater. When she turned around, she nearly had a heart attack.

A skeletal creature with a fish-like head and fins was standing behind her, teeth bared. It gave a low hiss. It was bathed in shadow. She only got a good look when lightning flashed for a moment, illuminating the creature that looked like something out of a horror movie.

"Jesus Christ!" She jumped back.

A knife whipped past her, striking the creature. It gave an awful screech and fell off the deck. Orm had thrown the knife.

"Holy shit," she cried, briefly recovering from the scare. "What the hell are these things?!"

"Creatures of the Trench. We're here!"

The deck was covered in Trench blood. She shuddered. "Gross."

They were surrounded by the ugly creatures and Aurelia had a feeling that more were lurking in the depths below the boat, a feeling that made her stomach churn.

All she could think was, _these are the things that killed our mothers. _Poor Atlanna and Opal. How awful.

When another of the creatures grabbed at her, she kicked it back, spearing it onto a fishing hook.

It had gotten darker - if that were even possible. And with that and the still raging storm, it was difficult to see. Aurelia was sure she had seen some flares earlier.

Digging around in the control area, she managed to find some. When the next creature approached, she cracked open the flare, the monster retreating with a hiss.

"Here! They're from the depths - they don't like the light and heat!" She tossed a few flares to Orm.

They were surrounded - the whole boat was being consumed and overtaken by the creatures. "There's too many of them!" The next creature that got too close got a lit flare through its skull.

"Stay close!" cried Orm.

She had thought the creatures were bad enough - nothing prepared her for what she found when she turned around again.

Another shadow stood there, though it wasn't another Trench creature. This time, when lightning flashed, she saw another monster standing there.

At first, she thought it might be another Siren playing tricks on them again. But no, this was the real Orvax. And that was so much worse.

King Orvax.

The red light from her flare cast an eerie shadow across his already cruel face.

"You," she cried.

He didn't seem at all phased by the creatures - instead, they all surrounded him, like guards almost.

He must have noticed her confused expression. "Vicious little things, aren't they?" He said this in a tone of admiration. "They'll do whatever I say." There was a flash of gold as he produced something from his cloak.

A golden trident.

Atlan's trident. She just knew it had to be.

But that was impossible...

"H-how?" she stuttered.

He only smirked. "I have my ways."

"Cheater!"

"I'm the victor. Now the entire sea answers only to me."

Well shit.

More Trench flocked to his side. "They're under my command, they'll do whatever I tell them to do - including kill you."

"Father?" Orm appeared then. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you - traitor," Orvax spat icily.

Orm's jaw tightened. "I am no such thing."

"You cut your ties to Atlantis as soon as you ran off with this half-blood scum." Orvax jerked his head in Aurelia's direction.

"Do not speak of her that way." Orm stepped forward defensively.

Orvax only chuckled darkly. "Oh, you are pathetic."

With one swift lunge, he ran the famed trident straight through Orm's stomach.

_No Orm! :.( Cliffhanger! One chapter left in Book 2!_

_Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :)_


	16. Chapter Fifteen - Do You Believe?

Chapter Fifteen - Do You Believe? Can You Believe?

It happened so fast Aurelia thought she may have imagined it. She wished she had.

There was a flash of gold, and then Orm was buckled over.

"ORM!" She gave a strangled cry as the trident ran him through, the golden spikes piercing through his abdomen, the tips appearing out his back.

Orm gave a pained cry, his blue eyes wide and tear-filled. "F-Father..." Blood poured from his mouth, spilling down his lips and chin. That was the only word he said.

Orvax merely yanked out the trident. Orm stumbled back, bumping against the railing, and falling overboard, instantly consumed by the dark water with a _splash!_

Aurelia was frozen, so shocked she could barely register what was happening, let alone move to try and help him before he fell.

But he was gone, the sea had swallowed him whole.

His father had killed him.

"Y-your own son... H-how could you?" She was so disgusted and shaken she thought she might be sick.

And what made it worse? He was smirking. The bastard was actually smirking. He had just fatally stabbed his own son, his own child, and he was _smiling_.

That feeling settled deep within her again, like the one she had felt when Orm had destroyed her mother's trident, only this time it was so much stronger, so much worse. She saw red, she saw fire, and all she felt there in that moment was deep boiling, roaring rage.

"You sick, messed up son of a bitch!" She lunged for him, ready to wipe that smirk off his face and rip him to shreds, but a few of the Trench creatures jumped in and blocked her path. They bared their piranha-like teeth and hissed.

Despite the monsters facing her, surrounding her, she knew Orvax was so much more the monster than these creatures.

Speaking of Orvax - he was still smirking. "Goodbye, Aurelia. Say hello to your mother from me."

"Go screw yourself." She cracked open another flare and turned and took off running across the deck to the bow of the boat. She heard hissing behind her over the raging storm and knew the Trench monsters were right at her heels.

She recalled Orm's words from just a few hours before - when he was still with her. When he was still alive...

_"I believe in you... Can you see it?"_

Did she believe in herself? _Could _she believe? Was it all enough?

But what choice did she have but to believe?

She did all she could do.

She jumped.

_And that's it, you've made it! You've reached the end of Book 2! But fear not, Book 3 is already very much in the works! ;) I've got a few sequels planned, this one included, so I'm trying to finish up some of my older stories so I can start those new ones!_

_I imagine Aurelia's escape from the boat to be like Lara's boat escape in 'Tomb Raider 2019'!_

_Thank you so much for reading and supporting this story and I sincerely hope you enjoyed! :) See you all in Book 3!_


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